Signing Ceremony with NHSD and Allama Iqbal Open University
A major goal of NextGenU.org has been to provide globally accessible opportunities for education. Because of our collaborations with multiple partner organizations, this dream is becoming a reality.
December 2020 took this goal a major step forward. An official memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place on December 2nd, which cemented the partnership between NextGenU.org, Allama Iqbal Open University and the Network for Human and Social Development, to offer joint certificate courses in the field of Public Health in Pakistan. This partnership holds magnificent value for outreach, enabling NextGenU.org’s courses to be offered to AIOU's 1.4 million students!
The Network for Human and Social Development (NHSD) is a leading, registered NGO in Pakistan. The work of NHSD is focused on reducing vulnerability in Pakistani communities and institutions through capacity building, social mobilization and empowerment. Training is supported in multiple areas, including Health and Education Development, a major focus also for NextGenU.org.
Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is the largest university in Pakistan, with 1.4 million students, and offering over 2000 diverse courses. They have established an extraordinary total of 9 regional campuses, 33 regional centers, 138 part-time regional coordinating offices, and 1172 study centers. AIOU has been diligently providing and expanding their educational and training facilities, helping working people (particularly females) to enhance their qualifications and occupational skills. Furthermore, AIOU works with numerous national and international organizations to promote education and skill development in Pakistan.
One of AIOU’s goals is to fulfill the need for affordable education, to ensure accessibility to individuals of all economic standing for self improvement and skill development. This directly aligns with the goals of NextGenU.org, and is also a major goal for our third partner, the NHSD. The development of this partnership between our organizations is a momentous occasion for distance learning and affordable education. It has the potential to improve access to education for millions of students, through extending the reach of NextGenU.org’s expertly developed, and extensively peer-reviewed and researchedcourses. Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Vice Chancellor of AIOU, expressed his hopes that the collaborations with NextGenU.org, NHSD and other international organizations would enable Pakistani students to receive higher quality, international education without the need for travel abroad.
NextGenU.org excitedly looks forward to the future opportunities which have now become available through partnership with NHSD and the Allama Iqbal Open University. Through dedication and commitment, global, accessible higher learning is being achieved one huge leap at a time.